ABOUT THIS ALBUM

Album Notes

Janam's long-anticipated debut album takes the listener on a soulful and exotic journey through Albania, Greece, Macedonia, Turkey, Russia, Hungary and the Appalachians, and includes songs in the Romani (aka Gypsy) and Sephardic Jewish traditions. Feast on sultry ballads, driving dance tunes, virtuosic musicianship and stunning vocals. In addition to innovative reinterpretations of folk tunes, included are original compositions by founder and vocalist Juliana Graffagna inspired by the modalities and meters of traditional Eastern European music.

Janam sprang from a common love and deep respect for the richness, variety, complexity, and enduring beauty of the music of the Balkans, Turkey, and America's mountain regions. The songs tell stories of dark eyes, growing old, nightingales, prison walls, burning love - the universal stuff of life – through captivating tonalities and sultry rhythms.

“An innovative ensemble that explores a dizzying range of styles, from Appalachia and Asia Minor to Eastern Europe. The sextet plays swirling, hard-driving music that always seems to end up in unexpected places.” SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

I heard Juliana sing at a late night session and I knew that I wanted to find a cd with her voice on it. The cd turned out to be so much more than I expected. It is beautiful hypnotizing music that helps me go to a place of relaxation. I play it regularly, I look forward to hearing it, it is definitely my favorite cd now. I hope there are plans for a second cd.

Take one of the most beauitufl voices you've ever heard, add five virtuosic musicians, and then stir in heaping helpings of infectious rhythms, haunting melodies, and ingenious musicial interplay. Sprinkle in a wide-range of musical influences and place in a baking hot cauldron of sultry nightclub vibrations. The result: Janam's first CD. If you're an old Balkan hand, you'll be impressed by how deep these musicians delve into this rich musical vein and how they manage to blend in so many other musical strands. If you don't know the difference between Balkan and Belgian, you'll only know that you can't get these songs out of your head, heart, and bloodstream.

SO glad I borrowed $5 from my friend to buy this CD! It's SO worth every penny. Not only do I enjoy Julie Graffagna's pure sweet vocals, but she is backed by a very talented band with a deep grasp of Balkan and other world folk genres. I've been falling asleep every night listening to this CD, and having very sweet dreams as a result. This is one talented bunch I hope to hear much more from in time.